Richard Hatch Sentenced To 51 Months

MAY 16--Richard Hatch, the original 'Survivor' winner, was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for tax evasion. Hatch, 45, was convicted in January of failing to report income of $1.4 million to the Internal Revenue Service (that figure included the $1 million payday he banked for winning the CBS reality show in 2000). During this morning's sentencing hearing in U.S. District Court in Providence, Judge Ernest Torres gave Hatch additional prison time after prosecutors argued that he perjured himself during trial. A copy of the criminal indictment filed against Hatch can be found below. In addition to the sentence enhancement, Torres ordered Hatch to pay nearly $500,000 in overdue taxes. Hatch's sentencing resulted in this gem of a quote being uttered (at least in a Department of Justice press release) by prosecutor Eileen O'Connor: 'Our nation's federal tax system is not a reality show to be outwitted, it is a reality, period.' Ugh, that's worth some punishment itself. (18 pages)